Future Of Electric Cars VS. Frigid NY Temps

In December, the New York Power Authority approved $2 million in funding to help municipal and rural electric cooperative systems in New York State purchase electric-drive vehicles for use in their municipal fleets. But the future for electric cars in New York state is unclear.

Electric cars were popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and came back in vogue during the late 1990s, finding a spot in the marketplace as gasoline/electric hybrids. In the last year, fully-electric cars finally made a comeback in vehicles commercially produced by Nissan and Tesla.

During his 2013 State of the State address, Governor Andrew Cuomo laid out his ChargeNY plan to invest $50 million over five years in electric vehicle infrastructure to reduce air pollution, lower the cost of government and reduce dependence on imported oil. Around the same time, Windham Mountain partnered with NYSERDA to become a ChargePoint electric vehicle charging station for its guests and staff.

There are currently 6,000 electric vehicles registered in New York State.

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Credit NYPA

In December, NYPA trustees approved financing that will be offered as part of the Power Authority’s Municipal Electric-Drive Vehicle Program, which provides financial assistance to New York municipal utilities to facilitate the replacement of less fuel-efficient vehicles in order to advance Cuomo’s clean energy goals. NYPA spokesman Micheal Saltzman explains the Authority supplies hydropower to community-owned electric systems including the Green Island Power Authority. “This 2-million dollars in funding will make it possible for these systems who are interested in acquiring additional electric-drive vehicles to finance the cost of these vehicles. Essentially they could be passenger electric-drive vehicles, plug-in vehicles, utility work vehicles, off-the-road vehicles, depending on the municipal electric system’s needs.
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